Immediately, the Clan seemed to collectively recoil, shock flitting through the crowd.

Lightning, as fast as it had been described in stories, flashed down from the sky, twisting and twirling as it zoomed through the air. It had been focused on one target, and as soon as it reached it, a bright flash of light lit the clearing like a forest fire that had been purposefully set.

Instantly, the apprentice seemed as though he was to convulse and scream, but before that could even happen, the lightning enveloped him, and as soon as it came it disappeared, leaving the tom's scorched corpse in the middle of camp. Leaving everyone to stare at it as if expecting that he would jump up and claim it a joke, leaving everyone to wonder what was happening.

The snow around the blazed apprentice had melted momentarily, allowing there to be a burnt spot in the camp; it was dark beneath his figure, almost as though the darkness from a night sky had swept down to pattern itself on the ground. Even the snow had some bits of black on it where it had been scorched by the lightning that'd jumped from the sky.

Particularly, the sky that waved happily above. No dark or stormy clouds were present; rather, it was the opposite, with the pale blue sky holding minimal puffy clouds and instead harboring wispy ones that darted easily across the sky. It seemed to watch the Clan with a serious gaze, though not one that was curious. One that was just watching.

Adderheart could sense the questions. They didn't need to be spoken aloud in order to be asked; it was in the eyes of the cats around him, in the features and the expressions of nearby cats. The inquiries popped up as cats shifted backward from the corpse, and they flooded the floor below. The ground was no longer the ground; now it was water, sloshing with questions.

And a cry ripped from a certain she-cat's throat, raw with horror and fear. Freckletuft — the apprentice's mentor — stumbled forward, but Cougarstar shook his figure harshly, narrowing his green gaze at the she-cat with his paw rising as if to warn her.

"Don't," he barked, "StarClan didn't agree, so he will not be a warrior of SageClan."

A tail whipped around Freckletuft's back paw, tightly gripping her paw, and it happened to be Fernfall's. Freckletuft stumbled, nearly tumbling to the ground as she was tugged back, but managed to gain her balance once more, and as if she had never even spoken or done anything, she simply slipped back into the crowd.

It seemed to be an ocean, sloshing and moving back and forth as to conceal the cats within it. Questions frothed at the surface, all bubbling and asking for an answer, begging for an explanation, but the sun simply shone down coldly. As certain parts of the sea moved forward, others splashed back to allow one part to move, and as soon as the first part moved back, it swallowed it all back up again, concealing the parts that had moved so harshly.

"Coalbelly, Twilightcloud, remove his body," Cougarstar ordered, a frown present on his features. It wasn't what appeared to be a normal one, though. It wasn't a sad one, nor was it one that showed he actually cared for the dead tom. It was almost disappointed, as if he wasn't pleased with the fact that Birchpaw was dead because he was just another number on his side regarding the rogues.

"Clearly, StarClan did not think that he was ready to be a warrior," Cougarstar spoke once more, voice sharp yet controlled. "Let this be a lesson. Do not get into any of the trouble that Birchpaw did."

Birchpaw got into trouble?

He had to have been lying, right? Birchpaw had barely even done that much, all considered. In the times that Adderheart had seen him, the apprentice hadn't done anything specifically wrong or bad. Cougarstar must've been lying to try to prove a point that was useless to prove. SageClan already cowered underneath him. Why did he need to keep pushing it?

Adderheart could feel the similar confusion pulsing through the crowd. Everyone seemed to be asking the same question, yet it floated within the air unanswered. Cougarstar was clearly not going to answer it, causing ripples within the ocean and waves within the crowd. A small murmur rose from the oceanic breezes, carried by a swirling salty wind.

Despite being unable to make out any words, he didn't need to. It was clear what was on everyone's mind; what just happened, what did he do wrong, and what are we supposed to do now?

Eventually, after most of the cats had split off into groups and began to chatter, Cougarstar slammed a paw down. The crowd jumped, startled, and his lips drew back in a snarl.

"Stop talking and get back to work."

His order crashed through the air and instantly, the group dispersed. Many warriors shuffled off to their den, and considering that the sky was growing peachier by the moment, it made sense. The newly named warriors did so, too, and Pantherleap even hurried after the crowd. Adderheart turned, gaze flickering around, and with that, he headed after the group.

"Poor Birchpaw," a voice murmured.

"His siblings will suffer the most," another cat whispered.

"I wonder what his name would've been?" That cat was Briargaze.

"Nobody except Cougarstar will ever know," came a reply, and that was clearly Mudstripe's voice.

"Finchtansy, Swallowripple, and Bumblepuddle will suffer the most from this," came an irritated hiss. Though, this voice was quieter, stranger, as if it had been twisted like a wire and the words tossed through a pair of claws. "They're only ten moons old."

Nobody replied to that voice.

As the huddle of warriors headed for their den, Finchtansy shuffled her way back to stand beside Adderheart. Surprised, he turned to spot the she-cat and found she looked just like an apprentice. Perhaps that was because of her size, as she was smaller than most others, but she had the glow in her gaze as apprentices did.

Well, she didn't have the glow at that moment because of what she'd seen moments before. But it was still there, hidden beneath a layer of darkness and confusion, mixed carefully with horror and fear that spread from her in waves. She anxiously sidestepped to stand beside him and he looked to her, hating that notes of concern drifted across his features.

Don't do anything dumb. She's a friend.

What? I like toms.

No.

His lip almost curled as if in some sort of a pout, though he was quick to resolve it and tried to press the thoughts out of his mind. He glanced back to her once more, for his dark gray gaze had wandered away to his paws, sharp and hateful as he landed upon them. The now-warrior looked back and her muzzle twisted into a confused frown.

"What do we do?"

"There's not anything to do," came his reply. He believed it to be true; in this situation, what could they do? They'd be unable to speak with Coguarstar, and the healers couldn't give any sort of explanation. They didn't know any better than any of the warriors knew, did they?

He doubted they'd gotten any sort of clue from StarClan or anything else. Unless Cougarstar had previously told them about the 'trouble' that the apprentice had gotten into, though that didn't make any sense. Had they been around for it...? No, that couldn't be possible.

From what he had made connections between, it seemed as though the apprentice had done something when the rogues were around. But that didn't make sense either. He tried his best to recall, though he came up empty; had the apprentices gained injuries after their mid-assessments? He didn't think so. But maybe his memory was failing him, for whatever reason.

Looking to the she-cat beside him, he briefly contemplated asking her about it. If I did, would she even tell me the truth? The thought drifted into his head and he shook it. Of course, she would. She had no reason to lie, but what if she was unwilling to go against what Cougarstar had already stated? He had no reason to believe she'd choose him wanting to know things over the leader's word.

Considering what he already knew about her, she was steadfast to the code and to the traditions already set up. It was unlikely she'd flip within moments to try to get him to gain more information. She was realistic, he knew that much, and so she probably was unlikely to do anything if he asked for any sort of help. But it wasn't worth just cutting her off. She was nice in general, and a warrior now too.

Not that it mattered, but most treated warriors better for reasons he didn't understand.

"Adderheart, what happened?"

Willowdapple.

Instantly, panic consumed him as if he were a dry riverbed and it was a flood. He felt stuck, completely trapped where he was. He had to talk to her. He had to. As much as he had tried to avoid her over the past couple days, she... she was here. How? Wasn't she supposed to be near the nursery with her kits? He didn't understand.

He turned and gave her a smile that seemed to immediately turn watery and uncertain upon his features, and he tried his best to have his eyes sparkle, have his features light up, but it wasn't working. She's going to find out. She's going to find out and then she'll hate me and tell everyone. Then everyone else will hate me and then I'll have—

"Birchpaw's dead. Did you not hear?"

The sharp tone of a nearby warrior cut through the air like a knife through soft thread and Willowdapple instantly stopped talking. She cast Adderheart a confused and hurt look, as if the knife had sliced her pelt as well as the cloth, or perhaps her pelt was the cloth, easily destroyed and easily harmed. He wasn't sure. It didn't matter.

But who had been that cat, who stated something so sad so bluntly? Something so sad that the entire Clan had gone silent, or perhaps so shocking was better fitting for the situation. He knew not of what the apprentice had done, but he wasn't about to ask anyone, and especially not whoever that had been. Momentarily, and as if for support, he looked to Finchtansy.

The warrior, who had darted ahead upon the sharp words of the cat, was standing at the entrance to the warrior's den. Her paws and pelt were covered in snow, and her eyes were blurry, tears bubbling at the edges of her gaze. His ears twitched harshly upon seeing her, and Swallowripple paused beside the she-cat to murmur a few words to her.

He knew not of what she said, but it didn't matter. The new warrior turned soon after and slipped off, leaving Finchtansy to stand alone once more, the wind and snow swirling around her as if it was some sort of twisted dance, planned to cause her chilliness that was unsolvable. Her ginger ears twitched, and they were the only thing that helped her stand out from the white snow.

And then, within a moment, she was gone. The white-furred warrior had just ducked straight into the warrior's den, likely to find a nest before the older warriors moseyed in, irritated and miserable from the millionth death they'd seen. And he, now alone, for Pantherleap was not around, turned, and Willowdapple rushed up to him.

His pelt prickled immediately, but he returned her embrace awkwardly, trying to be as good as she thought he would be. She looked to him with a bright though slightly dulled gaze, ears perking.

"How're you? Feeling okay after what happened?" Her question was soft, leaping atop the chilly breezes in the air as if to trick the senior warrior that she was being sharp.

"Y-yeah."

She curled her tail around his own and he shifted momentarily, ears pricking and flickering back and forth harshly. It simply felt wrong. It didn't feel right to be with a she-cat, one of which believed they were mates when they just weren't. You're a liar. Stop lying. His tail twitched sharply upon this thought and he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"I know, I know," she murmured softly, letting her figure drift closer to his. He kept his fur down, but it really wanted to puff up, as if he was protecting himself from the light and flighty she-cat. She pressed against him with suddenness and purred softly. "It's okay."

Tears blurred the edges of his dark gray eyes and he turned away quickly, lifting a paw to rub violently at his gaze. She couldn't see him cry. And his Clanmates were still around. Don't cry. Don't cry. He kept his figure still and let out a breath of air, trying to keep his ears perked, trying to keep his head somewhat lifted.

The she-cat beside him shifted before pulling back and as much as he hated it, a wave of relief swamped him. He glanced to her, and she mewed something softly, though it was lost to the winds. She twitched her ears and tipped her head.

"So...?" She prompted gently, voice as light as the chilly and icy wind around it. Just as soon as it had left her jaws, it was swept up and eaten by the breeze.

"Wh-what? Sorry, I didn't hear you," he managed, tipping his head as if to fake interest in something he didn't care about. As if he was lying. Again. More lies.

"Do you think the healers will let his mentor see him?"

I don't... that doesn't matter. Willowdapple, why did you do this? Sudden anger burst within him like a balloon popped by a small child. He didn't understand. Why did she come to him for all of these things when all he was trying to do was simply just get by? She doesn't know about your lies, how could she adjust to fix what she's doing without knowing?

He knew it within his mind; he wouldn't tell her, and so it was unfair of him to assume or hope that she'd fix things based upon lies she did not know of. But couldn't she at least try to pick up on some sort of context clue? The warrior still didn't get it. She'd completely hated him, but as soon as he'd helped her or something, she was in love with him.

Swallowing nervously, he gave a half-hearted shrug as a reply, though despite his calm exterior, or at least collected one, his mind still roared and continued to run from organized thought. He was unable to keep up with its running pace, for he was set only a moment slower, and no matter how fast he thought he was running, it was always ahead.

"Probably n-not," he added, ears twitching harshly as he gazed back to the she-cat.

She looked to him, pressing against him, and with that, she murmured, "Sorry, I can see you're shaken. I'll let you go."

With that, the she-cat turned away from him and headed off to the nursery.

Dazedly, he turned back, and quickly he shook out his pelt as if it was infected by her. Though, as soon as she disappeared, his figure seemed to relax a little more. Not completely, no, but definitely a little bit more than usual. His ears twitched as he gazed around, and consequently, his dark gray eyes caught on Pantherleap's green ones.

He simply looked for a few moments, and then the senior warrior turned and slipped away into the warrior's den. Now that night had finally swamped the Clan, everything was slowly turning dark. The sky was changing from its usual bright and peachy tones to a dark navy, followed by a suffocating black that covered the camp within moments.

Though, the moon still emerged, bringing with it sparkles to the snow. Adderheart turned to survey the Clan's camp for a moment, noticing that not much of it had melted. His muzzle twisted momentarily, as if in half of a frown, but he turned around and then slipped into the warrior's den.

Immediately, warmth surrounded him, from the pelts and frames of all the cats around, but so did whispering voices.

"Willowdapple's right."

"What?"

"I wonder if Freckletuft will get to see his body."

"Adderheart's right; probably not."

He quietly shifted to where his nest was and curled up, trying to keep his pelt flat, trying to keep his heart steady, trying to quell his mind's everpresent worrying. Soon after, the voices fell silent.

Well, they fell more into the background of everything. Instead of loudly making their presences known, they slowly slipped into the darkness of the night; they slowly inched to swirl with the coldness of a leaf-bare moonhigh.

He listened to the noises around. The whistling of the wind seemed most prominent, though right underneath it was a chilly bite, and alongside it ran the breathing of the camp. It seemed to be in pace with something, though with what the tom did not know. But it didn't matter.

Eventually, after a while of shifting around and attempting to situate himself with a nest that always seemed to be poking into his side, the pale warrior fell asleep.